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[Regions of Italy]
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If you like your history neat and clean, freshly plastered and painted, our friendly advice is to stay in Tuscany and avoid the south. But if you yearn to witness the sometimes sloppy footsteps of civilization as it passed over and marched through, then perhaps no city besides Rome will thrill you like Siracusa, nestled in a cove only three dozen miles north of Europe's southernmost extremity, on the eastern coast of Sicily. Africa is just over the horizon, and when the locals gaze eastward to sea they muse, "Nothing there till you hit the shores of Greece." What makes this city fascinating for today's visitor is that it still harbors souvenirs of every foreign army that has conquered and in turn succumbed for thousands of years: Carthage, Greece, Rome, North Africa, then the Normans, Angevins, Spaniards, Bourbons, and finally the foreigners who are still here today, the Italians.
The earliest known settlers came to this spot, perhaps because of its exceptionally mild climate, as early as 18,000 BC. Most likely they lived on the shores, and not on the tiny island of Ortigia, whose wonderful medieval and Baroque streets and squares most interest us today. In the 8th century BC, when the Greeks first arrived from Corinth, they found little more than a swampland surrounding the island that they somehow realized was shaped like a quail. How did they know that in pre-aerial-view times? Ask their cartographers, who named the island "ortygia," the Greek word for quail. Their architects built the grandiose Temple of Apollo located in the middle of modern Piazza Pancali, and the Temple of Athena whose massive columns were enclosed in (and can be clearly seen along) the outer walls and inner nave of the cathedral. Dark lines running along the white stone pavement in front of the same church mark the perimeters of two other temples, which have disappeared altogether.
Up on the highlands just a few hundred yards inland, the Greeks also built the largest theatre in Sicily. Completed in 215 BC, it could host as many as 15,000 people, who were introduced to the plays of Aeschylus, tragedies written by their own ruler Dionysius I, comedies by Epicarmus and pantomimes by Sophronus. A fascinating summer season of ancient plays is still presented here each year.
Also associated with this period is perhaps Siracusa's most unique attraction, the Fountain of Arethusa. A sunken pond adorned with a bright green shock of papyrus and inhabited by myriad white ducks, it offers one of several opportunities here to actually see Greek mythology incarnate. This particular legend was that a nymph named Arethusa, who lived in the Peloponnese Mountains, was mercilessly courted by the river god Alpheus. To escape his ardor she jumped into the sea, but Artemis saved her and transformed her into the source of a stream, which flowed to Ortygia and gathered in this spot before emptying into the bay. Surrounded by sea walls and a host of pleasant outdoor cafes, the pond is now a favorite hangout of the local youth. Observing them with their ice creams on a warm summer night, we can once again envy these people whose everyday lives are so inextricably interwoven with the roots of a civilization we know only from reading (often boring!) textbooks.
In the ensuing centuries, as the seaside settlement became more prosperous, it caught the eye of Carthage, which attacked it again and again for two and a half centuries. Plucky Siracusa withstood the advances, partly by building 27 kilometers of fortified wall, culminating in the massive Euryalus castle, one of the most important military monuments of antiquity, whose ruins are a must-see for every modern visitor. The city's invincibility also rankled Athens, which attacked unsuccessfully in 415 BC. Thucydides' account of the battle is one of his most vivid; what he did not describe was the agony of countless captured Athenian warriors, who slowly died of thirst, starvation and disease in the latomie, limestone caves located (ironically!) near the Greek Theatre. Centuries of erosion have left them open to the air and easily examined by today's tourist, but when they were used as dungeons, they were dank, putrid underground chambers. Still, we must not quickly consider the Siracusans to be barbarians! It is said that any Greek who could recite from memory the verses of Euripides was allowed to emerge from the caves into what the ancient world considered a humane destiny for vanquished warriors: slavery.
By 397 BC, at least 200,000 people were living happily in the city, and Dionysius could claim the vastest territory in antiquity before Alexander the Great. Contemporarily, Athens fell to Sparta and Persia, thus leaving Siracusa as the leading power in the Mediterranean basin, then the center of the Western World. Decades passed as the Carthaginians shifted their focus northward to Rome and the Punic Wars erupted. Siracusa wisely, and understandably, allied itself with Rome and thus ensured itself another half a century of prosperity. But in 214 BC, a new local ruler switched sides, and the wrath of Rome was not long in swooping down the peninsula. Even the great scientist Archimedes put his brain to the city's defense, but as we all know, nothing could stop the "momentum romanum" and in 212 BC, the city fell. Plutarch wept as he witnessed the final battle from the nearby hills because, "despite my elation over our victory, I was overcome with sadness for the magnificent marketplaces, temples, palaces and military defense structures that had taken so long to build and so little time to destroy." Almost at once the vanquished city entered into a swift and unforgiving decline.
Of course, the Romans were irrepressible builders, and their heavy footprints are filled here with as many monuments as elsewhere. The amphitheatre they erected almost as soon as they landed is second in size only to those in Rome and Verona, and although it is sadly decomposing today, its quiet pastoral setting, the thresholds once crossed by doomed-to-die beasts and superstar gladiators, the central rectangular basin used to stage mock naval battles, and the better seats, with their owners' names still etched upon them, all create a poignant picture of a great empire able and determined to enjoy the fruits of its power, no matter how far from home. Little remains today of the elaborate villas commissioned by the Roman hierarchy, who were either stationed here or chose to make this their holiday home, because of the beauty and climate which still draw intelligent vacationers from all over Europe.
The next period was marked by what we might call an "invisible invasion" - that of Christianity. Paul passed through here on his way to Rome, and many of the converted also resided on Ortygia. Thousands upon thousands of their graves, called loculi, form a catacomb that lies under the entire island; parts of it can be seen in the Catacombs of San Giovanni, which date mainly from 315 to 360 AD. St. Lucy, who is particularly venerated throughout southern Italy, was supposedly martyred here by decapitation, in 303. She was originally buried in the spot where the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro stands today. Her bones were later moved to Constantinople, where they were stolen by Venetians, who took them home and laid them - finally - to rest in the church of San Geremia, on the Grand Canal. The most colorful local festival takes place each year on December 13, when a throng of carpenters in green caps carries a 10-foot-tall silver statue of the saint from the cathedral to her basilica, where she is visited and revered by the entire population for eight days.
Inevitably, the scourge that devoured the whole peninsula also toppled Siracusa: the Goths and Visigoths invaded in the 5th century AD. True to their nickname, "the barbarians" razed as much as they could, plundered whatever they considered to be of value, and left nothing in their wake. There still wasn't much to conquer when the Byzantines arrived in 535, and they also left little trace of their presence, partly because of later demolition and partly because their three centuries in Siracusa were dedicated mainly to staving off the dreaded Arabs. What the Byzantines did manage to do was perpetuate Siracusa's status as a major hub for Mediterranean trading. It was this aspect that also attracted a numerous colony of Jews to the city. Until recently, little was known of their presence here, but the totally unexpected discovery (during the renovation of a private home) of Europe's oldest ritual Hebrew bath has opened the way for studies into this flourishing community of merchants and traders. The mikvah, located 10 feet below sea level, miraculously survived several earthquakes and is perhaps the best preserved 6th-century ritual bath in the entire world. The Jews were completely integrated into local society, and by the 15th century there were at least 40,000 of them here. In 1493 not even one was left, thanks to the vicious purge instigated throughout the realm of Ferdinand and Isabella the previous year.
By the late 800s, the remaining population was trapped on Ortygia, besieged so thoroughly and constantly by an army under the command of Abu Isa that Theodosius tells us they resorted to cannibalism before being overrun and decimated. Whatever lay in the path of the Arabs was crushed, burned, toppled and smashed, and it is said that one million pieces of gold were carted out of the cathedral. As the glittering metal sailed southward, anyone who could possibly manage it fled to the safety of Palermo, and Siracusa was plunged into a Dark Age that lasted for over two hundred years. Perhaps the only relic of these invaders worth mentioning is the papyrus that grows along the banks of the Ciane River, just outside the city. Nowhere else in Europe is it known to grow spontaneously, and scholars have always assumed that was brought by the Arabs.
It was the Normans who turned the lights back on, when they sent the last Arab packing in 1105. Thus began a glorious period in Sicilian history, and by 1127 the whole island was basking in the rule of Roger II, who instituted a feudal society in which an aristocratic class received land and titles in exchange for maintaining the king's army. In their turn, the peasant class enjoyed relative well-being, toiling in the vast fields and performing services in exchange for the aristocrats' protection and a small share of their bounty. The political and economic tranquility that lasted until the 13th century fostered wonderful cultural growth, which left indelible marks on the local landscape and introduced the arts, crafts and sciences of the Greeks and the Arabs to the rest of Europe. Many world-famous Norman monuments are intact on the Western part of the island, but in Siracusa they are mainly fragments, such as the rose window on the Basilica of San Giovanni.
Anyone familiar with the history of southern Italy knows what went on next in Siracusa, because it was the same from Naples on down the boot. In 1268, the French Angevins took possession of Sicily. Loathed by peasants and nobility alike, they lasted less than half a century and were savagely massacred in the revolt called the Sicilian Vespers, which brought in the Spanish Aragonese (whose royal family included Christopher Columbus's Ferdinand and Isabella). This was all to the benefit of Siracusa, because it now became a hub of the flourishing trade between Europe and the Far East. Wonderful souvenirs of this period greet us in Ortygia, including Palazzo Montalto, Palazzo Bellomo (which houses the local picture gallery, home of an oil by Caravaggio, who sojourned here a while after escaping from prison in Malta), the austere city gate called Porta Marina, and the imposing Maniace Castle at the very tip of the island. The castle was later heavily revamped by the Spaniards and the Bourbons, and practically annihilated when the munitions stored within it exploded in 1704, but it still has its original perimeter and watchtowers.
Just when it seemed as though nothing could ever put an end to the Golden Days of Siracusa, along came the plague and nearly wiped out the entire population, in 1348. Deprived of the vast income produced by a decimated labor force, the aristocrats were reduced to fighting with each other again and eventually became so weak that the Spaniards were able to install an autocratic viceroy who ruled more or less in absentia from 1415 to 1712. During those 300 years, Siracusa suffered famine, epidemics, terrible earthquakes and local revolts until her population slumped to only 14,000 at the end of the 1500s. Ironically, the worst disaster ever to hit this little city, the devastating earthquake of 1693, was eventually responsible for her greatest treasure, the Baroque period.
On Ortygia, it is almost easier and quicker to list the buildings that do not come from this glorious epoch. Every single street is alive with the ornate style which spread like wildfire through southeastern Sicily in the 1700s, thanks to large church and state endowments for rebuilding after the earthquake. First and foremost there is the cathedral and its square, resembling an exquisite oval drawing room with polished limestone floors and intricately decorated concave and convex walls. On one end is the strangely tall and narrow church of Santa Lucia alla Badia. On another side is the stately Palazzo Benevantano del Bosco, which might be mistaken for a Renaissance palace if it didn't have its requisite share of delicate ornamentation. Dominating it all is the monumental façade of the cathedral, which incorporates some element from every chapter in the city's history (click here for an in-depth look at the cathedral). Other outstanding Baroque jewels are the College of the Jesuits, the church of Santo Spirito, Town Hall, and Palazzo Impellizzeri.
Compared to the first 19,700 years of her existence, little of artistic or historical importance has happened in Siracusa since 1735, when the Bourbons took over from the Aragonese. Indeed, the most significant event since then may have been the Anglo-American and German bombings during World War II, which sadly caused widespread destruction and left room for the hideous urban blight that today assaults our eyes and ears between the Neapolis archeological area and Ortygia Island. Dominating, and perhaps symbolizing, this modern horror is the grotesque Sanctuary of the Weeping Madonna, a cement cone resembling a pregnant rocket squatting on a launching pad. Because it is the first thing you will see upon arriving in town, and because you will ask yourselves what the heck it is, we will tell you it commemorates a statue that lived in the humble home of a farmhand and which, on an August day in 1953, suddenly began to weep. When the Church sent the liquid off to be analyzed, sure enough it was found to have the exact chemical composition of human tears. Somehow, from this charming event grew the gigantic monolith that now hovers over the modern part of Siracusa.
When in town, do everything in your power to avoid this ugly, noisy, crowded modern chaos. A safe route around it is Via Dionisio Grande along the waterfront and then Via Politi across the edge of the city. From the excavations at Neapolis you can whisk right out of town to see Euryalus Castle and the remains of Dionysius' walls, then swing back across the Ciane River and over the bridge to Ortygia, for dinner in one of its many wonderful restaurants. Be sure to include fish in your meal: fresh and smoked swordfish and tuna are local staples, scrumptious large oysters are farmed in the clean, clear waters of the bay, shrimps, clams, mussels and any number of untranslatable fish are brought in daily by the fleet of private boats anchored in the marina. Also to be praised are the local fruits and vegetables: if you drive anywhere in this part of the island you will see endless miles of artichokes, fennel, zucchini, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuces of all kinds, not to mention authentic oceans of lemons, oranges, mandarins, prickly pears and figs. Obviously, the southeastern quarter of Sicily is Italy's truck garden, and where better to taste these delicacies than in the gardener's own kitchen! Wash them down with one of the new, prize-winning Sicilian vintages, and end with a lemon sorbet or a glass of limoncello, then stroll home through the quiet Baroque streets, so beautifully illuminated at night. Walk to your heart's content, for this is a safe city, one where mass tourism has yet to arrive, dragging along its sorry by-product of crime.
Come to Siracusa for its many monuments, vast excavations, and countless churches. All are unforgettable, yet we wager you will strike a closer bond with the city itself: its crumbling façades with their fat-bellied balconies, supported for centuries by a host of stone lions, tigers, bears, dragons, Moors, satyrs, devils, angels, kings, paupers, wenches, cherubs; its limestone-paved streets overhung with drying laundry and ancient scaffolding, narrow alleyways that lead you around a bend and suddenly, breathtakingly, into one of the most expansive piazzas Italy has to offer. You will walk past many an open door: some will give you a glimpse of an ornate secret courtyard, others open right onto someone's dining room where potatoes are being peeled. Walk until there's no one in the streets but you and the cats that inhabit every building, then go home and enjoy sweet dreams, soothed by the gentle whoosh of the sea on the rocks. Siracusa is Italy at its very best, a living history book, and you will be one of the lucky few to have read it cover to cover.
Text and Photos by Kristin Jarratt
Taormina: Greek theatre, charming medieval town, great shopping
Noto: the most perfect Baroque town in the world, well worth a half-day visit followed by lunch at Neas (via Rocco Pirri 30, tel. 0931-573-538) and world-famous - we mean it! - ice cream at Corrado Costanzo (via Silvio Spaventa 7/9)
Ragusa Ibla and Modica: Charming hilltowns, each with a wonderful cathedral, enchanting streets and delightful residents who truly welcome visitors
Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone: at the former, the Roman villa, whose mosaics are considered by many to be the finest still in existence; the latter is a town made of ceramics, including the tallest - we swear! - ceramic staircase in the world. Fantastic shopping in the little workshops, where you can watch the artisans and create custom-made sets to be shipped directly to your home
Mt. Etna: click here for more information
The beaches of Arenella and Fontane Bianche: great sunning and swimming, from mid-April through October, in waters consistently rated among Italy's cleanest
Anyone who is even vaguely interested in ancient sculpture should absolutely not miss the Museo Archeologico Regionale "Paolo Orsi," Viale Teocrito 66, tel. (0931) 464-022, open Monday 3:30-7:30, Tuesday-Saturday 9-2 and 3:30-7:30, and Sunday 9-2. In a country where even the most illustrious museums are basically little more than warehouses of masterpieces, this wonderful gem is a didactic museum, with a logical progression to the exhibits, plus excellent explanations in good English, both on the walls and on the headsets. It is well worth a visit, and for about US$6. you can buy a ticket that also includes the archeological area (called Neapolis).
The Catacombs of San Giovanni are open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30-12:30 and 2:30-5:30.
Some restaurants we enjoyed in Siracusa are:
La Rambla, Via Riva Garibaldi 4, tel. (0931) 66638. Nothing fancy, but they serve great seafood dishes in a glassed-in terrace overlooking the harbor.
Osteria da Mariano, Vicolo Zuccalà 9, tel. (0931) 67444. Closed on Tuesdays, right behind the Arethusa Fountain.
Spizzica, Lungomare Alfeo, tel. (0931) 463-637. Pizza, ice cream and full meals.
Trattoria La Foglia, Via Capodieci 29, tel. (0931) 66233. Very pretty dining room serving vegetarian and Mediterranean specialties.
Trattoria Archimede, Via Gemmellaro 8, tel. (0931) 69701. They have a nice inner garden, right off Via Cavour.
Ristorante La Terrazza, Via Picherali 10, tel. (0931) 468-009. Just 20 yards from the cathedral square, but the most of the tables are on the terrace overlooking the harbor.
Il Giardino di Epicuro, Largo della Gancia 5, tel. (0931) 468-996. Closed on Wednesdays, near the Arethusa Fountain.
Don Camillo, Via Maestranza 96, tel. (0931) 67133 is in all the guidebooks and is probably the town's most famous restaurant. It's very pretty and the food is good, but we found service to be stuffy-leaning-on-the-bored and the prices were not low.
The area between the Arethusa Fountain and the cathedral is buzzing with all sorts of wonderful little workshops and boutiques, including:
Taitù, Via Capodieci 32, tel. (0931) 465-304. Gorgeous ceramics.
Providence, Via Capodieci 55, tel. (0931) 22661. More beautiful ceramics.
Circo Fortuna, Via Capodieci 42, tel. (0931) 60375. Our favorite ceramics.
La Fabbrica del Papiro, Via Capodieci 46, tel. (0931) 24478. Drawings made on the local specialty, papyrus.
Istituto del Papiro, Via XX Settembre 19, tel. (0931) 483-342. All sorts of papyrus articles.
Etnoart, Largo Aretusa 6, tel. (0931) 60683. Exotic things from around the world.
Sete d'Incanto, Via Roma 27, tel. (0931) 22097. Interesting silkscreens.
Le Ceramiche di Renata, Via Vittorio Veneto 43, tel. (0931) 66395. More ceramics, on the other side of the island.
There are two Internet cafes in town:
Webandwork, Via Roma 16/18.
Eurekaweb, Via Maniace 23, tel. (0931) 60767.
There is also a very nice Sicilian puppet theatre that we highly recommend if it's playing when you're in town. Teatro dei Pupi is on Ortygia at Via della Giudecca 17. For information about schedules, email the Mauceri brothers.
In Italy Online offers some wonderful places to stay on Ortygia and just outside Siracusa. To find out more about them, click here.
Click here to see more photos of Siracusa.
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